Mastering isn’t a magical process but it does often make a world of difference when it comes to your music. Unfortunately, it’s a step many try to skip. I know how it happens. When I mix a track I make sure it’s sounding good, well balanced, blending together nicely to make a great sounding stereo track (natch!).
I can then do some basic mastering work to get the overall volume up to match other music that you hear on the radio or digital apps. And everyone is happy. But…don’t stop there!
Mastering is the final stage for your music, the step that ices the cake and can take an already righteous mix and make it richer, deeper, brighter, and fuller.
But how do they do it?
Mastering engineers usually apply equalization and dynamic range compression inorder to optimize the sound.
This means it sounds great whether it’s being played on a huge PA or a tiny little iPhone. Different speakers and amps and other audio equipment behave differently. What sounds good on your phone may be too thin on a venue PA or have too much thump in a set of headphones.
The mastering process reduces the variance so your music sounds like you wherever it is played.
The engineers generally start by transferring the recorded audio tracks into the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). They line the separate songs or tracks as they will appear on the final release and adjust the length of the silence between songs, which is important for the entire album.
They process and sweeten the audio to boost the sound quality for the chosen listening medium (e.g. applying specific EQ for vinyl). And, of course, they make the overall volume of the project comparable to other music for radio or digital release (too loud and everyone will reach for the volume knob or to change the song, too soft and the recording will sound amateurish).
The final output can be a digital file the artist can use but also could be the DDP file, which can be provided to send to the CD duplication plant for production.
In short, a well-done mastering job can add the final golden touch to an already groovy tune, while a rough mastering can ruin it.
I recently had a client send a track I had recorded to a master engineer who works for large labels. Maybe he was having a rough day but I was gutted because he made the track sound tinny and horrible.
I sent the track to my favorite masterer and he made the track sound arm and lush! Funny enough, they got signed to a cool indie label who have their own preferred mastering engineer and the song came back from him even warmer and louder.
Two out of three, all good!
I know it seems like extra cost and time when you already have a lush mix in hand, but it’s so worth it. The process itself may not be magic, but it really is that final step that takes your mix to the next level.